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15 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

A creature of mystery: New Zealand’s love-hate relationship with eels

Native species have been revered, feared, hunted and tamed. Now experts hope revulsion can give way to fascinationFor many years, the top-rated attraction in the Tasman district of New Zealand was a cafe famed for its rural setting, seafood chowder – and tame eels.For a few dollars you could buy a pottle of mince and a wooden stick to take down to the stream, where a blue-black mass was shining,...

‘No data’ linking Covid vaccines to menstrual changes, US experts say

Some have reported changes amid vaccine rollout but experts say ‘one unusual period is no cause for alarm’Experts are trying to assuage concerns and combat misinformation about how the Covid-19 vaccines may affect menstrual cycles and fertility, after anecdotal reports that some people experienced earlier, later, heavier or more painful periods following the jab.“So far, there’s no data...

A Sir George Cayley moment on Mars | Brief letters

Shell sponsorship | Sir George Cayley | Old friends reunited | Retrieving the Guardian | Obtaining the GuardianIn Bob Ward’s point-missing riposte to George Monbiot’s criticism of the Science Museum’s acceptance of sponsorship from Shell, the words “Shell” and “sponsor” are notable by their absence (Letters, 22 April). He doesn’t say if, as an adviser to the carbon capture...

Children of Chernobyl parents have no higher number of DNA mutations

Study was one of the first to evaluate alterations in human mutation rates in response to manmade disasterFor decades popular culture has portrayed babies born to the survivors of nuclear accidents as mutants with additional heads or at high risk of cancers. But now a study of children whose parents were exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 suggests they carry no more DNA...

Social mobility study to assess lockdown effect on teenagers in England

Academics will follow progress of 10,000 poorer students affected by the Covid-19 pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDisruption to the lives and careers of 16-year-olds following the Covid-19 pandemic is to be the subject of a government-funded study that tracks 10,000 children in England into adulthood.The research will establish whether pupils achieve lower...

SpaceX launches third crew in less than a year with recycled rocket and capsule

Event marks first time SpaceX reused a capsule and rocket to launch astronauts for NasaSpaceX launched four astronauts into orbit on Friday using a recycled rocket and capsule, the third crew flight in less than a year for Elon Musk’s rapidly expanding company.The astronauts from the US, Japan and France should reach the International Space Station early on Saturday morning, following a 23-hour...

UK scientists find evidence of human-to-cat Covid transmission

Researchers in Glasgow find two cases where cats were infected by owners with coronavirus symptomsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTwo cases of human-to-cat transmission of Covid-19 have been identified by researchers. Scientists from the University of Glasgow found the cases of Sars-CoV-2 transmission as part of a screening programme of the feline population in the...

UK Covid live news: India added to UK’s coronavirus red list as travel ban begins

Latest updates: India joined UK red list from 4am, with British citizens and residents returning from India now having to quarantine 10 daysPeople in England could get Covid passports for foreign travel by 17 MayUK’s south Asian diaspora despairs as India joins Covid red listOne dose of Pfizer or Oxford jab reduces infection rate by 65% – studyWelsh government accused of ‘playing politics’...

Climate crisis has shifted the Earth’s axis, study shows

Massive melting of glaciers has tilted the planet’s rotation, showing the impact of human activitiesThe massive melting of glaciers as a result of global heating has caused marked shifts in the Earth’s axis of rotation since the 1990s, research has shown. It demonstrates the profound impact humans are having on the planet, scientists said.The planet’s geographic north and south poles are the...

Japan to declare targeted state of emergency as Covid cases surge

Yoshihide Suga under pressure to act after sharp rise in infections in Tokyo, only months before OlympicsJapan is hoping that a short blast of tough coronavirus measures will halt a recent surge in coronavirus cases, with the prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, poised to announce a targeted state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures, just three months before the Tokyo Olympics.Suga...

Oxford Malaria vaccine proves highly effective in Burkina Faso trial

Vaccine developed by scientists at Jenner Institute, Oxford, shows up to 77% efficacy in trial over 12 monthsA vaccine against malaria has been shown to be highly effective in trials in Africa, holding out the real possibility of slashing the death toll of a disease that kills 400,000 mostly small children every year.The vaccine, developed by scientists at the Jenner Institute of Oxford...

Australia set to host clinical trial of genetically modified Covid nasal spray vaccine

Australian company applies for permission to conduct trial of men and women aged 18 to 55Australia is set to host the first human clinical trial of a genetically modified adenovirus vaccine for Covid-19 delivered via nasal spray.Avance Clinical, an Australian contract research organisation, has applied to the office of the gene technology regulator for permission to conduct the phase 1 clinical...

Australia news live: NSW Health testing dock workers who boarded Covid ship; vaccine rollout reset

Fifteen Sydney waterfront workers waiting on coronavirus test results after boarding ship carrying infected sailors; national cabinet decision to offer all over-50s AstraZeneca vaccine from 17 May welcomed. Follow the latest updates liveScott Morrison claims future generations will ‘thank us’ despite no new emissions pledgeMalcolm Turnbull accuses resources minister Keith Pitt of living in...

Astronomers map asteroid’s 22m-year journey to Earth

Flight path of Kalahari’s six-tonne asteroid is first tracing of meteorite shedding rock to solar system originAstronomers have reconstructed the 22m-year-long voyage of an asteroid that hurtled through the solar system and exploded over Botswana, showering meteorites across the Kalahari desert.It is the first time scientists have traced showering space rock to its source – in this case Vesta,...

One dose of Pfizer or Oxford jab reduces Covid infection rate by 65% – study

Analysis of test results from more than 350,000 people finds older people just as protected as youngerCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOne shot of the Oxford/AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine reduces coronavirus infections by nearly two-thirds and protects older and more vulnerable people as much as younger, healthy individuals, a study has found.The results from...